Invincible
by Luthien Luinwe
Summary: Mokuba had always thought his brother was invincible... until he was diagnosed with leukemia.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Mokuba Kaiba had always seen his older brother as being invincible. He never thought anything truly bad could happen to him. Seto had practically raised him, it seemed like. Their mother had died shortly after giving birth to Mokuba, and their father had died of cancer when they were both young. Seto had always stood up for him, always protected him, and was always there to rescue him.

This view changed when he was twelve and Seto was eighteen. The elder Kaiba was complaining of severe headaches, but said they were probably stress induced. He finally agreed to go to the doctor after weeks of feeling extremely fatigued. The doctor ran a few tests, and said that he would call within a few hours with the results.

With a heavy heart, the doctor informed Seto that he had leukemia. The good news was that they had caught it early. They did a bone marrow transplant and chemotherapy, and by the time he was nineteen, he'd gone into remission.

The chemo treatments were brutal on Kaiba. He would be in the hospital for weeks at a time. Mokuba never left his side for a minute. Occasionally Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and Tea would visit, but they came more for Mokuba's sake than Kaiba's. They would sit and make idle conversation and ask if either needed anything. That was how it went for a year.

Kaiba went to have a physical every six months after going into remission mainly to make sure he was still in remission. For awhile, everything came back negative. He was perfectly fine, which is why he thought nothing of it when the familiar fatigue set back in.

When he was 21, he went to the doctor for his biannual physical. They took a blood count. The results were not as expected. He had an abnormally high white blood cell count, and an abnormally low red blood cell and platelet count. He was told that they would run further tests to rule out the possibility of the cancer returning.

Eventually, the phone call came. Kaiba was in his office when he got it. "Mr. Kaiba," the doctor said over the phone. "I'm sorry to say that the cancer has returned."


	2. Telling Mokuba

**Chapter 2**

One week later, Kaiba still hadn't told Mokuba. The last time he'd been diagnosed, Mokuba had been with him. This time he'd have to tell him, and he was dreading that. He was told he most likely wouldn't make it past six months without chemo, and if he went through with chemo and a marrow transplant, he _might _get a little over a year. They'd caught it late. Signs didn't point to a positive outcome

When the all too familiar fatigue, headaches, and joint pain started, he knew he'd have to tell his brother. All his life, he'd protected Mokuba. He'd tried to keep him safe, and he'd tried to shelter him. He hated that three short years ago; his brother had seen him at his worst.

He remembered chemotherapy much too vividly. He would go into the hospital, get an IV, and eventually fall asleep as the cell destroying drugs went into his blood stream. When he'd wake up, he'd feel horrible. The nausea was almost unbearable. He'd be violently sick. He couldn't keep anything he ate down. After two treatments, he'd lost quite a bit of weight. As much as he didn't want to go through with it again, it would give him more time. Time was something he'd become much more aware of.

He spent that Saturday with Mokuba. They played chess and Duel Monsters and just enjoyed each other's company. It had been quite some time since they'd had a day together. Kaiba was always overworked.

"How'd the doctor's visit go last week, Seto?" Mokuba asked.

Kaiba hadn't expected Mokuba to bring it up. _Now. You have to tell him now. _"Not… Not great…" he admitted.

"You're still okay, though, right?" Mokuba asked, concerned.

Kaiba bit his lip and shook his head, fighting back tears. He would _not _cry in front of Mokuba.

Mokuba paled. "You don't have…"

Kaiba simply nodded, and Mokuba started to cry.

"But… they can just do another marrow transplant and chemo, and you'll be fine again, right?"

"One year," Kaiba answered. "If I'm lucky… And obviously I'm _not _very lucky." He hugged his brother tightly and finally let the tears flow.

Mokuba could only really remember Kaiba crying three times, including this time. The first was when their father had died, the second was when he was first diagnosed with leukemia, and then now. To him, it was unnerving. Kaiba was supposed to be the strong one. Nothing bad was ever supposed to happen to him. Nothing.

"You're dying…" Mokuba said quietly. Those were the two words he never wanted to say, and the two words Kaiba never wanted to hear.

"There's still a chance I'll make it, though," Kaiba replied, his voice cracking.

"Seto, don't lie to me."

"I'm not. There's a chance… It's just… miniscule…"

The two brothers held each other and cried until neither had a tear left. "I'm getting my first chemo treatment in a few days."

"Why go through with it when it's not going to help?" Mokuba demanded.

"Because it'll at least give me some more time."

"But that time isn't going to matter if during that extra time you're going to be more sick and miserable than you would be otherwise!"

"I have to try, Mokuba. I can't just give up!" With that, the brothers went to their respective rooms.

Kaiba lay down and stared up at his ceiling. _I'm sorry, Mokuba. I'm not going to be here for you much longer. _

Mokuba punched a wall in his room. _This can't be happening! Not again! Seto is all I have! I can't lose him! _That night, he had realized that contrary to his belief, his older brother, the one he looked up to, his hero, was _not _invincible.

**A/N: I'll probably be updating this randomly. Anyway, what do you guys think so far? Leave me a review? **


	3. Chemo

**Short chapter, I know, but my attention span is too short to make it any longer**

aiba did not do well with the first chemo treatment. He had severe vomiting and couldn't keep anything down. Mokuba had stayed in the waiting room. One of the nurses wouldn't let him in until his brother was sleeping. After a few hours, Kaiba had finally fallen asleep, and the nurse finally let Mokuba into the room.

Mokuba sat in one of the chairs in the room. He noted that his brother looked terrible. He was horribly pale and just looked… sick. It took everything in him not to start crying. He sat there and watched Kaiba sleep until he heard a knock on the door.

"Care for visitors?" Mokuba heard a familiar Brooklyn accent ask.

"Come in," Mokuba called to them. Yugi and Joey entered the room.

"How is he?" Yugi asked. He and Joey sat down across from Mokuba.

"Asleep."

"How long have you all been here?"

"Since seven this morning." An awkward silence followed.

"I'm hungry," Joey said after a bit.

"Me too," Yugi said. "Let's go downstairs," he turned to Mokuba. "Want to come?"

"Sure," Mokuba sighed. The three boys walked down to the cafeteria and ate in silence. Yugi and Joey walked Mokuba back up to Kaiba's room, but then had to leave. Mokuba went back to his chair. About an hour later, his brother awoke.

Kaiba turned onto his side. "Mokuba?" he asked tiredly.

"Right here," Mokuba replied.

"How long have I been out?"

"Two hours?" Mokuba guessed.

Kaiba nodded. "You know you don't have to stay, right?"

"I know. I want to."

Kaiba gave his brother a small smile. "Thanks," he said.

"No problem," Mokuba said. A nurse entered the room and informed Mokuba that visiting hours were over. She escorted him out of the room.

Mokuba walked back to the mansion. It felt so empty without his brother there. Sure he almost never saw Seto as he was always working, but he missed knowing that he was there all the same. He walked to Seto's room and packed a bag with a change of clothes and a few of his brother's favorite things, knowing he'd be in the hospital for a few more days. Most people could just go in one day and be out the next, but the doctors wanted to keep a closer eye on him.

Mokuba went to his room and lay down. He took out his iPod, which Seto had gotten him for his fifteenth birthday, and drowned out his thoughts with music before eventually falling into a deep state of sleep.

Kaiba lay in his hospital bed feeling miserable. He wished this entire thing would be over with. He stared up at his ceiling and listened to the steady beep of his heart monitor until falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.


	4. Going Home

**Kind of a boring chapter here, written purely for the sake of killing writer's block. I do apologize for the extremely short length and the lack of interesting content.**

Mokuba walked into his brother's room. "Morning, Seto!" the raven-haired teen said happily.

Seto gave a small smile when he saw the younger Kaiba. He sat up. "Hey, Mokuba," he said tiredly.

Mokuba sat down beside Seto. "I brought your deck if you want to duel," he said. "I also brought a chess board if you feel up to it."

"Maybe later. I just woke up," Seto replied.

"Oh, okay," Mokuba said. "Do you feel any better?"

"Do you want the truth, or do you want the preferred answer?"

"I'll take that as a no."

An almost tangible silence filled the room. A nurse walked in a few moments later to check the elder Kaiba's vital signs. "Well Mr. Kaiba, it looks like you can go home later today," she said. Mokuba smiled at that, as did Seto. "I'll just have the doctor okay it." With that, she left, leaving the two brothers alone once again.

"I'll get your stuff together," Mokuba said.

"Okay," Kaiba replied. Mokuba went about the room, throwing some articles of clothing and personal hygiene items into a duffel bag.

"So what do you want to do when we get home?" Mokuba asked.

"Sleep," Kaiba answered. He was physically drained.

Mokuba sighed. He'd forgotten how tired the chemo treatments made Seto. _At least he gets to come home until the next one, _he thought. _I don't know why he's doing this to himself. He's just prolonging the inevitable… No, don't think like that. There's still a chance…_

"What's wrong?" Kaiba asked, noticing his brother's far-off look.

"Just thinking," Mokuba answered. He sat down on the chair beside the bed. Kaiba had fallen back to sleep.

Later that day, Seto was cleared to go home. He and Mokuba got into the limo and rode towards their mansion. Mokuba helped him get to his room. "Get better, okay?" Mokuba asked quietly.

"I'll try," Kaiba said. "But I can't make any promises."

Mokuba went to his room, not being able to see Seto in such a state any longer. _He can't die… If he does… My best friend will be gone forever._

Kaiba turned onto his side and stared at a wall in his room. _Pull yourself together, Kaiba, _he thought. _You've got to be the tough one._


	5. Time

**Hey guys! Long time, no update, huh? Anyway, here's the next chapter!**

Kaiba's condition gradually got worse. He'd been fighting for three months now, and there were no signs of hope. He was dying, and both he and his brother knew it. Neither would talk about it. In their mindset, talking about it would make it real, and reality was something neither could face.

Seto Kaiba had already filled out the paperwork that would pass the company onto Mokuba when he passed. He knew it was a matter of when and not if at this point. After several chemo treatments, nothing had changed. If anything, the treatements were _helping _to kill him. He lay on his hospital bed, feeling extremely weak. He still had nine months, the doctors had said. The prognosis was one year... He hoped it wouldn't get much worse than it was now, but he knew it was a lie. He wasn't even at the halfway point... He dreaded what he'd feel like closer to the end.

He and Mokuba had been talking a lot more than they used to. He loved Mokuba, but he hated seeing how torn up his little brother was over this whole ordeal. Seto was all the teenager had. Once he was gone, he would really be alone. He wouldn't have anyone to go to, to rely on, to trust.

Mokuba sat next to his brother in his hospital wrong. "Hey, Seto," the black-haired boy said.

"Hey, Mokuba," the CEO said weakly.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Kaiba lied. He'd gotten used to telling lies lately. 'I'm fine.' 'Nothing's wrong.' 'I feel great.' 'Never better.'

"That's good," Mokuba said, smiling, seemingly oblivious to the lie. "Want to play chess or Duel Monsters or something?"

"Sure," Kaiba replied. He'd do anything to get his mind off of things. "I guess Duel Monsters is fine." He pulled out his deck, Mokuba had brought it to him when he was admitted to the hospital. He drew five cards, and Mokuba did the two brothers dueled for quite some time. They were both very skilled, and after an hour had passed, both of their lifepoints were still relatively high.

Kaiba was finally able to summon one of his Blue Eyes White Dragons. He played the monster in attack mode. Mokuba, thinking quickly, played a Dragon Capture Jar. "You've gotten better at this," Kaiba commented.

"I've been practicing," Mokuba replied, smiling.

After another relatively long period of time, Kaiba had won. "Seto Kaiba, 200. Mokuba Kaiba, 0," he said.

Mokuba sighed. "I'll never be as good as you, big brother."

"Sure you will," Kaiba argued. "You just need more practice... And time." Time was a word they didn't use very often, at least not anymore. Time was valuable, and time was limited. Time was something they were running out of.


End file.
